


If Only

by buddyroll



Category: Rhett and Link
Genre: F/M, M/M, Thriller, rhink (sorta)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-10-25 15:45:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10767372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buddyroll/pseuds/buddyroll
Summary: When Link goes unexpectedly missing, it's up to Rhett and Stevie to uncover the shocking truth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic DOES mention abduction. Nothing I write is too brutal, but if you would prefer not to read it, consider this your warning. I haven't yet posted that part, but will be putting a heads up in the notes of the more graphic chapters (in case you'd rather read the rest and skip those specific sections).

"Alright, buddyroll. I'll be right back. I gotta use the bathroom. We're leavin' in five."

  
"Yeah, man. Do what you gotta do. I'll go grab my jacket."

  
Rhett stood from the GMM desk and headed towards the back of the studio. The episode was a fun one, the response to a question about what flavor of soda was best for a party -- but the cola and the root beer and all of the other soft drinks had taken a toll on Rhett's bladder. He and Link had sat through nearly 30 minutes worth of both GMM and MORE, and it wasn't long before the blond had the urge to go.

  
He finished his business in the bathroom, washed his hands, and pulled a paper towel from the dispenser. Dry with it, then retain it, for the doorknob may be tainted; as you exit, bank it off the wall into the trashcan. Rhett tossed the used paper towel successfully into the waste basket. "It's the perfect bathroom trip," he said aloud, smiling to himself.

  
The tall man walked to the dressing room to grab his green quilted jacket, assuming that Link would be there when he arrived. He walked into the room, though, and Link wasn't standing in front of the mirror, cleaning his glasses like Rhett had thought he'd be. He grabbed his coat and scouted out to the office.

  
Eddie, sitting at his computer, saw Rhett and stopped him.

  
"Hey, man, do you wanna put the brackets into the video before or after you drink each soda?"

  
"Uh... whatever looks better. After, I guess. You seen Link anywhere?"

  
"Nah, sorry. Last I saw him was on set. Check with Stevie, though; she probably knows."

  
"I will. Thanks, Eddie."

  
"Of course," he replied. Rhett made his way to Stevie's desk, where she was sifting through a pile of papers and manilla folders. She put down her work to pull back her long hair, and Rhett strode over to her, a bit of haste in his step.

  
"Hey, Rhett!" she said cheerfully.

  
"Hey. Listen... I dunno where Link went, and we're gonna be late, and boy is he stressing me out--"

  
"Whoa, whoa, slow down," Stevie replied soothingly. "It's alright; I just saw him. He went out to the car on the phone -- something about Christy calling him -- but you'd better get going if you don't wanna be late."

  
The taller blond nodded his head. "Right, of course. Thank you... for everything, Stevie. See ya tomorrow morning."  
She gave him an excited little wave as he walked quickly towards the exit. "See you tomorrow," she called, and went back to her ponytail. Then, to herself, she added, "You've got this, Steves. It's only the biggest meeting you've ever been to with the guys." She hugged herself tightly and smiled. "Yeah... you've got this."

  
···

  
"So what was that about?" Rhett buckled his seatbelt and started the car as Link hung up and slid his phone into his pocket.

  
"Lily's sick," Link sighed. "Christy thinks it's the flu. She called the doctor's office but they're booked until tomorrow afternoon. Who the hell has that many patients booked on a weekday?"

  
Rhett, clearly seeing the frustration in the other man and hearing the tiredness in his voice, gently placed a hand on the seatback next to him. "You wanna stay? We can call and cancel the meeting... you can be with your daughter to take care of her."

  
Link contemplated before brushing the idea away. "No, no... I wanna be here for her but... this is a big meeting, and if we cancel it we might lose our shot at getting it back. Besides -- Lily hasn't thrown up yet, and if her fever gets any higher, Christy can take her to the walk-in." He leaned his head against the window. "I told her I'd call and talk to the kids when we get to the airport. Speaking of which," he looked up at Rhett, "we'd better get on the highway. If we wait any longer we're gonna hit rush hour traffic and potentially miss our flight. We gotta count for parking slash catching a shuttle, going through security, and actually getting to our gate... not to mention if we wanna go back for food after we check in..."

  
He looked back at the man sitting in the driver's seat. Rhett had started driving at this point, but he glared at Link out of the corner of his wide grey eyes, a smirk formed on his face.

  
"What?! Why are you looking at me like that?"

  
"Nah, it's nothin'. I just think it's funny that you can be such a control freak sometimes. I got this all, buddyroll."

  
Link took the insult as constructive criticism and relaxed a bit. "I know... I just feel bad for Lily. She never gets sick, and the one time it's more than just a cold, I can't be there to help her feel better. Not like a normal Dad."

  
"Hey, don't forget that I know exactly what it's like. I got kids of my own, ya know. And trust me, it sucks when I can't be there for them. But we have the most _amazing_ wives, and you know that if Christy ever needs anything while we're gone, Jessie will always be available to help her and the kids."

  
"You're right. God, of course you're right. You're always right." The brunet laughed. "Thank you, Rhett. I love your family."

  
The tall man shifted uncomfortably and sat straight in his seat, focusing his eyes on the road ahead of him in an attempt to force his direction away from his burning cheeks.

  
_"I love you, too, buddyroll,"_ he wanted to blurt out. Instead, he replied, "Thanks, man. I appreciate your family, too."

  
Satisfied, the smaller man smiled and leaned back into his seat before rolling to face the window again. Rhett pressed a button on the radio, and his and Link's "Road Trip Playlist" spat out a slightly static-y version of an old Merle song. The guys sat in silence, but both were fully engaged in the music, Link mouthing the words and Rhett tapping the forefinger of his left hand against the steering wheel.

  
About halfway to the airport, the blond broke the silent spell. "Y'know what, Lonk? I really gotta feeling that this is gonna be a good meeting."

  
"You think?"

  
"Yeah, Lonk, I do."

  
"I sure hope so."

  
"Me too, ruddy bowl. Me too."


	2. Chapter 2

Link shoved his hand into his pocket and fished out the buzzing phone.

"That Christy?" asked Rhett.

"Dunno." Link looked at the contact photo. "It's Lily." He swiped the green button to the right and brought the phone up to his ear while he pulled his suitcase out of the trunk of car.

"Hey, Lils. How ya feelin', babygirl?"

On the other end of the line, Lily sniffled before replying, "Hi, Dad. I'm doin' okay." Her voice was somewhat nasally, but it sounded better than Link had anticipated.

"Momma gave you some fever reducer?"

"Yeah. It helped with the nausea, too."

"That's good. Listen, Lils, I gotta go." Link started walking to the shuttle, motioning over his shoulder for Rhett to follow. "Rhett and I've got a plane to catch. If we have time at the gate I'll call you back, and if not, then I'll call you before we take off, sound good?"

"Okay."

_PrO_ He sang into the phone.  
Lily giggled. "I love you, Dad." In the background, Link could hear Lando calling, "Hi Daddy!"

"Hey, Lando!" Link smiled. "Love you, too, baby," he said to Lily. "Tell Momma and the boys that I love 'em and I'll talk later, but don't let them know that you're my favorite." He listened to his daughter smile through the phone.

"Okay," she said softly. "Don't tell Mom, but you're my favorite, too."

"Our little secret?"

"Our little secret."

"Fingers crossed."

"Yup."

At this point, Rhett was ahead of Link, and it was his turn to silently urge the other forward.

"Rhett says 'Hi'," the brunet said. The tall man rolled his eyes.

"I thought you had to go?"

"I do," said the shorter man as he and the blond reached the shuttle. "I love you, Lily, and I'm sorry I can't be home. G'bye!"

"It's okay, Dad. Love you too. Bye bye."

With that, Link pressed the power button on the phone and slid it into his bag just as the doors of the shuttle bus opened. Rhett stepped onto the bus first and helped the chauffeur by putting both his and Link's luggage on the rack. Link climbed up into the small van and realized immediately that he and Rhett were the only two on the bus.

"Where we headed, boys?" asked the driver. "What airline?"

"United," Rhett and Link said in unison.

In the short time it took to get out of the shuttle and into the terminal, Rhett had already noticed how hungry he was. True, he'd filled up on soft drinks that morning, but he hadn't had any solid food since breakfast time, and it was nearly two in the afternoon. Their flight wasn't scheduled to leave for almost another hour and a half, anyway -- and judging by how vacant the airport seemed at the moment, it didn't look like it would take long to get through the usually jam-packed security line.

"Okay, here's the plan," said Rhett. "We get through security -- it shouldn't take long, there's only like twenty people in line. Then, once we get to the gate and make sure the flight is on time, we can grab something to eat. I just need something solid to hold me over until we get on the plane And then we can take a bathroom break if you need it."

"Sounds like a plan," replied the brunet.

"Good. Now, don't go getting yourself lost on me, young man. This airport is a labyrinth if I ever saw one."

"I'm not a child anymore, Mom!"

"Don't you use that tone with me, young man."

"What tone?" Link teased back, trying to sound disgusted.

The blond laughed. "We really are still kids, aren't we? Like, yeah, we're nearly forty years old, yet sometimes, we act younger than our own children."

"It's kinda crazy. We are just as immature as the day we met," Link admitted. "It's still so hard to believe that we've been friends since we were six years old." He looked up at Rhett admiringly as the two advanced through the line. "I mean, it's definitely one of the reasons why we work so well together."

Rhett nodded in agreement. "I second that."

The two men placed their suitcases, along with Link's backpack, their shoes, and their jackets, onto the conveyor belt.

"Come on through slowly, one a time," said the man on the opposite end of the security line. Rhett walked through the x-ray machine, and Link awaited for the man to motion him forward.

They pulled their shoes on at the end of the line and collected their baggage, heading out into the long linoleum walkway.

"Which way do we go?"

Link looked at the signs. "Well... we're gate C-23, right? So..." he turned to his left. "This way." He lead the parade of him and Rhett down the center of the airport.

"I gotta get the boarding passes ready," said Rhett. "I have 'em on my phone..."

He pulled his cell out of his jacket pocket and opened up the United app. Link was saying something about which way to turn, but the older man just followed the other one's voice. At some point, his voice had trailed off to a faint sound, and then it was nothing all at once. Rhett looked up to see where he was going when he realized that Link had, though specifically told not to, disappeared.

Shit, Rhett thought to himself.

He spun around frantically searching for the pair of blue eyes that met his constantly. Normally, he'd give anything to avoid awkward eye contact with his best friend, but the one time he absolutely needed to be able to see them he physically couldn't.

"Link!" he called. _"Link!"_

Rhett still couldn't see the brunet, and it didn't help that he was drawing attention to himself by yelling. The small section of the airport that had seemed so empty just moments before was now crawling with people forcing their way around the tall man stopped in the center of the crowd. The blond looked up at a sign that indicated he was near the gate. Figuring Link had probably already made it to the desk and obliviously left Rhett behind, he walked to gate C-23, ready to show the boarding passes so that he and Link could finally leave to get something to eat.

He arrived at the gate, though, and Link wasn't there. Not at the desk, not leaning against a wall -- not even lounging in one of those uncomfortable pleather chairs he found oddly exciting.

Rhett turned his phone back on and speed-dialed Link.

Voicemail.

He waited about thirty seconds before redialing. The blond was really getting frustrated when the call went to voicemail again. He went back to his contacts and dialed Stevie's number.

She picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Stevie. Quick question: when was the last time you talked to Link?"

"This morning before you guys left." She paused. "Why?"

"Shit," Rhett muttered under his breath. "We were walking to the gate and then I look down for a second, and then I look back up and he's gone."

"Did you check the bathroom?"

"No."

"Check the restroom, and if he isn't there, call Christy."

"Ah, 'course. Thanks Steves."

"No problem."

Rhett hung up the call and walked with his suitcase to the bathroom. There was nobody in the restroom, though, except for an older man with greasy looking hair standing at the urinal. The blond's frustration was turning into anger now, and everywhere he looked and couldn't see Link, he lost the hope he had left for making the flight.

He walked out of the restroom and made one last call, this time to Link's wife.

When Christy picked up the phone, Rhett's tone was different than the one he used when he was talking with his own wife.

"Hey, Christy," he said anxiously.

"Hi, Rhett! Do you know if Link is still gonna call back?"

"Actually, I was just gonna ask you that. I was just with him ten minutes ago, and now he seems to have disappeared... you don't know where he is?"

"You're the one who's with him. And no. He never called me or the kids."

The boiling anger was subsiding quickly into a sickening, unsteady nausea, and for the first time, Rhett was genuinely scared that Link was gone. Yeah, he disappeared all the time, but he never broke his promises. If Link Neal said that he was going to talk with his family, he was going to talk with his family, no exceptions. And for him to break that promise was just about as normal as the latest aired episode of GMM.

With the fear creeping up inside of him, Rhett made a promise that for the first time in a long time, he vowed not to break: he was going to find his best friend, whether it meant missing their flight or not, and he was going to do it with or without any help he could get.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking such a long time to post this chapter!!! I've been busy with a lot of things at home. This one's short but it's here!

  
_Aw, c'mon. Think, Rhett, think._

  
_You could always try calling his phone again..._

  
_Oh, who are you kiddin'? You know that wouldn't work._

  
_You're squaring a circle here, Rhett. Finding Link'll be nearly impossible._

  
Rhett slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying not to lose it in public. His raced with thoughts, always coming up with clever idioms and analogies when he needed then the least. It was the same part of his brain that Link commonly filled with euphemisms and metaphors.

  
Still clutching his phone, he ended the call with Christy and called Stevie back for the second time that day.

  
"Hey, Rhett!" She picked up on the first ring. "Bet you found Link already, didn't you? Tell me you didn't find Link." She spoke with a tone that sounded fake, and Rhett immediately recognized it as a sort of false hope. He said nothing but secretly wished she would drop the act, and as soon as he called her by her name, she did.

  
"Stevie," he said, losing his usual playful nickname of "Steves". His throat felt as though there were a fist enclosed around it, a lump inside welling up to the point where it as hard for him to breathe. The other end of the line fell quiet as Stevie silently admitted the seriousness of the situation.

"Stevie, I don't know where he went, but Link isn't the kind of person to walk away without saying anything. I've known 'im since I was nearly seven years old and he ain't ever done anythin' near as bad as this. Hell, I know that man better than he knows himself -- and it's gonna take a crap ton of convincing convincing and explainin' if you'd expect me to believe that he just up and left without sayin' a damn thing to me or his family."

  
His voice grew small as he finished his rant. "I don't want to believe it either, Stevie, trust me... but he's gone... he's not here, Stevie, I don't know where he went... he's... _gone_."

  
Stevie, silently crying, finally accepted the truth. "We'll find him Rhett, we will... I'm going to hang up and we're both going to dial nine-one-one, you hear me?"

  
"What's that going to do? You're supposed to wait twenty-four hours to file a missing persons report."

  
"No. There's no law that says you have to do that. Maybe the police won't start searching for him until tomorrow, but we have to do everything in our power to at least try to get them to start now. And it'll be more likely for them to do so if we both call in and report him missing. Look, Rhett, I know it won't be easy, but we have to try. We have to. For me. For you." She paused before going on.

  
"For Link."

  
With that, Stevie hung up without saying goodbye.

  
"Wait, Stevie, don't -- "

  
It was too late. Rhett dialed the three numbers as he took a deep breath in.

  
"Nine-one-one, please state your emergency."

  
He slowly let out the air he was holding in, and as he spoke, he found his voice to be shakier than anticipated. "I'd like to file a missing persons report."

  
"And who is it that you're filing this report for?"

  
"My best friend. He was here ten minutes ago, and -- "

  
"May I have a full name please?"

  
"Link Neal. I mean -- I'm sorry, that's not his full name, Link is his nickname -- "

  
"May I have a full name, please?"

  
"Charles Lincoln Neal," Rhett answered, and then added, "The Third."

  
"And how old is Mister Neal?"

  
"Thirty-nine years old."

  
"His date of birth?"

  
"June first, nineteen-seventy-eight."

  
"And you said he was by your side ten minutes ago?"

  
"Yes ma'am, he was. I'm not sure if it was exactly ten minutes ago, but he was here and now he's not. I'm at LAX airport and I was just getting our boarding passes ready when I looked up and he was nowhere in sight."

  
"May I have your name and age, sir?"

  
"Rhett James McLaughlin. Thirty-nine years old as well."

  
"Now, Mister McLaughlin, I'd like you to know that police searches are not ensured until twenty-four hours of this call being made. I've put all of the given information on file but I cannot promise provided searches until this time tomorrow, do you understand?"

  
"Yes, ma'am, I do. And I'll do whatever it takes to find my friend. Thank you, ma'am, for everything."

  
"It is my job, but you're more than welcome."

  
"Thank you." Rhett couldn't bear another word, so he swiped the red button on the glowing screen and turned around. He hated to be the bearer of bad news, but Christy and her family needed to know exactly what was going on, and so did he.

He filed his way through the seemingly never-ending crowds of people, and made his way hurriedly back through TSA. Once outside, he flagged down a taxi to bring him to to the parking lot.

  
"I need to get home, fast. How quick can you bring me to Lot B?"

  
"Four minutes tops," replied the driver.

  
"Alright," Rhett said, pulling some cash out of his wallet. "Let's go."

  
He placed the money on the dashboard as the cab driver backed pulled away from the sidewalk, and he lay back as he tried to relax, but all that was on his mind was Link.


End file.
